I invite you to take your Bibles,
turn with me to Titus Chapter 2. Titus Chapter 2. I have a message for you this
morning that I believe ought to give you some comfort and
encouragement. And I hope some direction as
to how we ought to live our lives in this present evil world. If
you found our text, I'd like for you to read the verses with
me, beginning in verse 11. Titus chapter 2, verse 11. For the grace of God that bringeth
salvation hath appeared to all men. not just to the Jews, but
before the whole world. Teaching us, that is those to
whom his great appearance has been preached and received and
rejoiced in, teaching us through the power of God's spirit that
denying ungodliness and worldly lust We should live soberly,
righteously, and godly in this present world, looking for that
blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and
our savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he
might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar
people zealous of good work. These things, not something else,
these things speak and exhort and rebuke with all authority
and let no man despise. Now this last phrase is not in
reference to making everybody you talk to love you. That's
not what this is saying. This is not saying not to offend
anybody. Don't say anything to offend
anybody. That's not what he's talking
about here. It means to let no man think
around you. or above you. It means to let
no man despise you or think down on you because you're incompetent. He's talking here to a preacher
in Titus. One of the old writers said the
best way for a minister to commend or command respect from his hearers
is to do the thinking that deserves it. Do the thinking that deserves
that. In other words, and here's the
scriptural verse behind that, study to show thyself approved
unto God, a workman worthy and that needeth not to be ashamed. How? Rightly dividing the word
of truth. In 1 Timothy 4.12, he says this, Let no man despise thy youth. He's talking here to a young
minister. But be thou an example of the believers in word, in
conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, and purity. Till I come, give attendance
to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Being approved by the
elders and recommended as a minister of God, he said to meditate upon
these things and give thyself wholly to them that thy profiting
might appear unto all men. Let no man despise you. You see
what he's saying here at the end of these verses? And it's
my sincere hope this morning and in all the meetings that
we have here that you'll go away bettered by what you've heard.
I don't want you to go away doing this. I want you to go away having
heard and having been bettered by what you've heard. Now, I
want to begin this morning by having you to consider these
words, looking for that blessed hope. Looking for that blessed
hope. The believer is a person enabled
of God to look. Johnny has eyes to see. Eyes
to see. The believer is full of eyes. He's full of eyes. And this looking
is not with natural eyes, but spiritual eyes of faith. Paul
prayed for the believers at Ephesus that the Father of glory would
give unto them the spirit of wisdom and revelation and the
knowledge of Christ, the eyes of their understanding being
enlightened. That's the eyes he's talking
about. The believer has eyes. The blindness of this unbelieving
world is described in 2 Corinthians 4 as the God of this world blinding
their minds. They see with these eyes, but
they don't see with their mind. They don't comprehend. They don't
hear in the heart. Spiritual eyes. And the Lord, justifying the
Father for hiding His gospel from the proud, self-righteous
Pharisees, turned to His disciples and said, blessed are your eyes
for they see, and your ears for they hear. The believer is a
man enabled of God to see. He has these eyes. Called out of darkness and ignorance
and rebellion and translated into the kingdom of God's dear
Son, he's enabled of God to look. And he looks in all directions. Looking, looking. You see what
that word is? The word didn't say, hey, look.
It's looking. Looking. Looking. He says it
over and over and over in the Scripture. Looking. He looks back into the dark history
of man and sees his fall and ruin in Adam. He looks back on
the history of man and sees that there is none righteous, none
good, none that understandeth, and none that seeketh after God.
He looks back on the dark history of man and he sees proven proven
to him that there's no potential in this fallen, ruined man in
any of the sons of Adam. And he looks back on his own
life, and he sees himself coming forth from the womb, David said,
speaking lies, conceived in iniquity, walking in the deceit of Satan,
that spirit that works in the children of disobedience. And
he sees even his righteousnesses to be filthy rats. He sees himself
like Job drinking iniquity like water. But also in looking back,
he sees the cross. He sees the wonders of God's
grace on the cross. He sees the eternal love of God
in sending him. He sees the holiness and justice
of God that required it. He sees the wisdom of God who
appointed him. And he sees the righteousness
of God accomplished by him. And like Simeon of old, he takes
up that glorious person of Christ in his arms. And he said, now
letteth thy servant depart in peace. Now, he said, I'm ready
to come into glory and step into the presence of the living God,
for I've seen thy salvation. He looks back. He looks back. And the believer looks down.
He's looking, looking, looking. He has eyes. Eyes to see. He's not dead in trespasses and
sins, but he's quickened with Christ and given eyes to see
and he's looking. And he turns and he looks all
around and he looks back and he looks down. Oh, he looks down,
down into that pit of eternal darkness and everlasting torment,
that place called outer darkness. The second death. where the worm
doth not. And he knows that he, by the
grace of God, is a brand plucked from the burning. He looks down. He looks down. And in looking
down, he sees that blessed hope in his deliverance from that
awful place. He's bound by the messenger of
God. like Job and heard the gracious
words of God to his soul, deliver him from going down into the
pit, I found a ransom." Have you heard those words? He looks back and he sees his
substitute and redeemer and the glory of God's grace in him. And he looks down and he sees
that awful abyss out of which he's been delivered. And the
believer looks around. He looks all around. He examines the world in which
he lives by the truth of the gospel light that's now in him.
And he knows, as John declares, that I am of God, by the grace
of God, by the testimony of God, by the power of God, by the love
of God. I am of God in the whole world,
life and wickedness. That's what these eyes see. Wicked in their lustful thoughts,
and wicked in their business dealings, and wicked in their
governments, and wicked in their relationships, and wicked, wicked,
wicked in the pretense of their worship. But for the grace and mercy shown
them, they'd yet be in this world. And in looking around, they turn
and look to that blessed hope. You see what I'm saying? He looks
back, and he looks down, and he looks around, and then he
looks up. He looks up to the majesty and holiness and justice
before which he must stand. Have you ever considered, considered
the eyes of God, the all-discerning eyes of God, Winston, that penetrate
the thoughts and intents of your heart? All things naked and open
before the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. The believer looks
up and he sees that. He sees that awful holiness and
justice of God before which he must stand. But he sees one there
seated on the throne who was delivered for his offenses and
raised again for his justification and seated on the eternal throne
of glory ruling over all things for His good and His salvation. And He sees that blessed hope.
He has eyes. And these eyes are looking. And
they're looking back. And they're looking down. And
they're looking around. And they're looking up. And then
these eyes look forward. They look forward. Oh, they look
forward. They look forward to that coming
Redeemer. That time for which all things
are kept in store and reserved under fire against the day of
judgment and the perdition of ungodly men. But because he looks
with eyes of hope, he sees these days as the long suffering of
God to us. Isn't that what Peter said? He
said just like that old world, for 120 years God preserved it
while the ark was being made. And he said, don't be ignorant
about that, because the world right now, he said, is being
kept in store unto fire and the judgment and the perdition of
ungodly men. But he said, God is long-suffering
to us. And he said, you count that long-suffering
as salvation to your soul. He's not willing that any should
perish, but that all should come unto repentance, all those for
whom Christ was appointed and that Christ died. The believer
is a person looking, looking back and looking down and looking
around and looking forward and looking up. He's looking, looking,
looking. He wakes up looking. He goes
to bed looking. He lives out his life looking,
looking. He sees nothing in here, but
he sees everything in Christ. And no matter where he looks,
he finds Christ. He finds Christ in eternity past. He finds Christ in eternity future. He finds Christ delivering him
from the pit. He finds Christ seated on the
throne of glory. It's Christ, Christ, Christ. He's looking. He's looking. But
that's what he finds. And he finds him everywhere he
looks. Everywhere he looks. Oh, David said, whither shall
I go from thy presence? Whither shall I plead from thy
presence? If I take the wings of the morning and fly to the
uttermost parts of the sea, behold, thou art there. If I make my
bed in hell, he said, behold, thou art there. He was a man
looking, looking, looking. You see what this looking's all
about? Looking for that blessed hope. Brother Mahan preached a message
one time. Salvation is in a look. It's
in a look. In the believer's looking, three
things come to pass. Three things that he finds in
common with all those given eyes to see. First of all, as the
sure result of his looking, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself becomes
his hope, his blessed hope. The Lord Jesus Christ himself
becomes his hope. My hope's not in things. My hope's
not in doctrines. My hope is in the person seated
at the right hand of God. And it's him to him that we look. Look. He's the foundation of
his hope. He's the chief cornerstone of
His temple of worship. He's the author and finisher
of our hope, being made of God unto us all things pertaining
to His salvation. He is the way. He is the truth. He is the life. He's the vine. He's the shepherd. He's the resurrection. Paul said, for me to live, for
me to live is Christ. Christ. What on earth are you
doing in Arkansas? Christ! Why would you want to quit your
job? Christ! Why on earth would you want to
pray? Christ! Why should I take all that junk
my boss tried to cram down? Christ! You see what I'm saying? For me to live is Christ! And I'm looking, I'm looking,
I'm constantly looking, and what I found is Christ. It's all Christ. He's the way. If I look to the scriptures,
I find Christ to be the truth. If I look for righteousness,
I find Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. If I'm
looking for justification, I find Christ is my justification. Looking,
looking, looking. Oh, we want to look to our words.
There's no hope in your words. Look to your works and you see
His works, His faithfulness. The life I now live and the flesh
I live by the faithfulness of the Son of God who loved me and
gave Himself for me. Oh, this hope in Christ is a
blessed hope. For God the Father blessed us
in Christ with all spiritual blessing. You can't find a spiritual
blessing outside of Christ. And I think this morning as I
look back, I think with these eyes of faith and looking, I
can see the title to our Lord's first message to his disciples.
Blessed are. That's the title. Blessed are. Blessed are the poor in spirit.
Blessed are they that mourn. Blessed are the meek. Blessed
are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness. Blessed
are the merciful. Blessed are the pure in heart.
Blessed are the peacemakers. Blessed are they that are persecuted. Blessed are they that are reviled.
Blessed is he whose transgressions is forgiven and whose sin is
covered. Blessed is the man to whom God
will not charge sin. Blessed. You can't find it. This
is a blessed hope. And he that hath Christ has all
the blessings. Because that's where they were
purposed. That's where they were accomplished. And that's through
whom they're rightly given. Blessed. Oh, looking and blessed. Is there another word in the
entire English language that can better describe the believer's
hope in Christ than blessed? Blessed. You pour out your heart
before God. Oh, God, I don't know why I did
that. I don't know why I missed that. I don't know why I did
this. I don't know why I did that.
Huh? What's the end result of it?
He blesses you. Huh? You don't have any hope
in anything you do or say, but you're just blessed. You're just
blessed. And I tell you everything the
Lord blesses is blessed indeed. They brought to him a few water
pots held so many firkins of water. They brought them up there
and the Lord blessed them and that water turned to wine. Huh? Turned to wine. The best wine. The best wine. He blessed a few
fishes and loaves and fed 5,000 men besides women and children
and picked up 12 baskets of leftovers and as all over there couldn't
stuff another piece down their throat. He blessed the Word of God, and
it communicates eternal life to all that believe. He blessed
the body of a man with His deity and grace, and by virtue of that
union brought life and immortality to light through the Lord Jesus
Christ. All those who look unto Him find Him to be a blessed
hope. You can't look to Him and not
be blessed. You can't do it. You can't do
it. And the second thing I know that
comes to pass when men and women look to Christ, and that is an
energy of faith. True saving faith has an energy
that moves the believer. He moves. You ain't going to
sit still and look and see him and see these blessings. You
can't do it. You can't do it. It's an energy
that cannot be resisted or defeated. Says, Noah moved with fear. God moved him. He didn't sit
over there and say, oh, I don't know if I want to build an ark
or not. No. Uh-uh. God moved that man, and
he trembled, and he built that ark. And in spite of all the
ridicule, in spite of all that was said, he hammered away every
day, every day, preaching the gospel of God's grace. He moved
with fear. Abraham moved out of his father's
house. The patriarchs moved as strangers
sojourning in a land of promise. And Moses moved to leave the
house of Pharaoh and deny even having his name, seeing him who
is invisible. He looked. He looked. And prophecy came not in old
time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they
were what? Moved by the Holy Spirit. There's an energy in saving faith
that moves men. Why does it move them? Because
God takes up His abode in them. That's right. Born of God. They're not like
other men. They're born of God. God takes
up his abode. When God takes up his abode,
you're not going to stay the same. You're not going to have
to have somebody come up here every Sunday and say, now I'm
telling you, under the law, you better do this. You don't need
that. I'll tell you what believers
do. They hunt for opportunities. Hunt for opportunities. to give,
to worship. I tell you, I long to get up
here on Sundays. I long to get up here on Wednesdays.
I long to go to these Bible conferences. I dare you not even sign I could
go unmoved when the presence and power of God settle down
on it. How then can we who confess to have Christ in us go undisturbed? He has redeemed our people according
to this text in Titus chapter 2. of people zealous of good
works. Why? Because God moves them. He moves them. Good works, obedience,
zealous of worship. They're zealous because they're
looking, looking for that blessed hope. And then last of all, what
these eyes see has a sanctifying effect on our lives, purifying
unto himself a peculiar people. Boy, that'll give you some problem.
Purifying. I'll tell you what I see in me,
not very pure. It's not very pure. And what
I see in most men, not very pure either. Watch this. Listen to this. I'm just going
to, for the sake of time, I'll give you the references if you
take a note, but I'm just going to read these Scriptures to you.
In 1 John chapter 3, he begins the chapter this way, Behold
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the children of God. What would you say if the Lord
Jesus Christ came in here today and there was a council of men
ready to carry you off for debts that you couldn't pay, crimes
that you committed and justly accused of, and he walked over
to you and put you behind his back? and said, this is my child. Whatever he owes, you put it
on my account. I'll pay it. Huh? Behold, this
is John. This is that one who called himself,
that one whom Jesus loved. The disciple, he wouldn't even
say his name, the disciple that Jesus loved. Behold, he said,
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we
should be called the sons of God. Therefore, the world knoweth
us not, because it knew him not. That is, as the sons of God. That's what he's talking about
there. The world is not ready to recognize you as the sons
of God, because they didn't recognize him either. Beloved, he said, now are we
the sons of God in spite of all that the world says and denies
and ridicules? Now are we the sons of God, and
it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when
he shall appear, we'll be like him, for we'll see him as he
is. Now listen. Every man that hath this blessed
hope in him, purifies himself even as he is pure. What a statement. Listen to this, Acts chapter
15. Issues about the ceremonial law were brought to light by
believing Pharisees. These were men who all their
life, like Paul, was raised in that ceremonial religion, raised
in that under that moral law, all their hopes, everything stacked
on that. And some issues came up. And
just like some of us spent our lifetime in religion, and we
got a lot of baggage we bring with us, don't we? I was talking
to a man recently, and he was telling me things that he used
to argue about. He said, now I've come to see.
We all carry that baggage around with us, don't we? Every one
of us. just like these Pharisees. And they wanted these Gentile
believers to obey certain things under that law. Some of them
were dietary things. Some of them were ceremonial,
probably days or something. But the main issue was circumcision.
They wanted them to be circumcised. Acts 15, verse 7. And when there
had been much disputing, Peter rose up and said unto them, men
and brethren, You know how that a good while ago God made choice
among us that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word
of the gospel and believe. God determined to do it, said
he'd do it, chose who he'd do it by, and then did what he said
he's going to do. And God, verse 8, which knoweth
the hearts, bear them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even
as he did unto us. and put no difference between
us and them." Now listen, purifying their hearts by faith. Whoo! That's what he's talking
about. Purifying their hearts by faith. Well, here's another reference
here in 1 Peter 1, 18. For as much as you know that
you were not redeemed with corruptible things of silver and gold from
your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers,
but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish
or spot, who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the
world, but was manifest in these last times for you, who by him,
that is through his person and work, Do believe in God that
raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, that your faith
and hope might be in God. Seeing, listen now, seeing you
have purified your souls in believing the truth through the Spirit
unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that you love one another
with a pure heart, And then back just a page or
two in James chapter 4, he says, draw nigh unto God, and he'll
draw nigh unto you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners,
listen, and purify your hearts, ye double-minded. In these four
accounts of purification, there's four references to the heart,
the soul, the mind, and the means. Faith purifies the heart by giving
it the true motives of love and gratitude. Faith purifies the
soul, establishing in us the image we're predestinated to
bear. Faith purifies the mind, giving
us an understanding of Him that is true. And faith eliminates
all other means except those in Christ, established by God. Purify, he said, purify your
heart, you double-minded. There are no double-minded believers. Believers all have the mind of
Christ, every last one of them. And they're all looking for that
blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and
our Savior, Jesus Christ. I don't know how else to say
that. Looking. Looking. All that God has sent
you out here today, looking. Looking. Looking back. Looking down. Looking around. And looking up. And looking for
that blessed hope. Oh, may God be pleased. to do
it in your heart today.